OXFORD, Ohio - A combination of base running by Andre Jernigan and clutch hitting by Michael Moore gave Xavier baseball a victory over Wright State in the Joe Nuxhall Classic Wednesday, 3-2. The Musketeers, winners in four of the last five, improved to 17-14 on the year, while Wright State falls below .500, 15-16.

"It was a great way to bounce back today after yesterday's loss," said head coach Scott Googins. "Guys were locked in and it showed. It started on the mound with Trent [Astle] giving us a quality start and Brad Kirschner slammed the door by striking out four of the five batters he faced."

Jernigan used his speed in the second inning to reach on an infield single and steal two bases on the same Stephen Schoettmer at-bat to reach the hot corner. Moore hit a sacrifice fly deep enough into left field to score Jernigan and give the Musketeers the early lead, 1-0.

Both teams used rallies to produce two-run fourth innings. Wright State grabbed the lead, 2-1, with back-to-back doubles from Kieston Greene and Michael Timm. XU answered right back with a single from Moore that found the gap in left center, bringing home Jake Forrester from third and Jernigan from second.

Wright State tried to catch Xavier in the top of the seventh by loading the bases against Zach Johnson. With two outs, Sean Campbell entered in relief and avoided any danger by striking out Sean Murphy swinging on a 3-2 count. The Raiders left the three runners stranded that inning and Xavier eventually took the Joe Nuxhall Classic consolation game, 3-2.

Jernigan led Xavier to the victory with both the bat and base running. The redshirt freshman finished 2-for-3 at the plate with two stolen bases and two runs. Moore had all three RBIs for the Musketeers and went 1-for-2.

The freshmen arms helped open and close the contest for XU. Freshman Trent Astle (2-2) took home the winning decision after going five innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs. Fellow-classmate Brad Kirschner (1-0, four saves) picked up the save with 1.2 innings pitched and four strikeouts.

Luke Mamer (0-1) suffered his first loss of the season after giving up all three of the Xavier runs.

Greene and Timm each put up 2-for-4 performances with one RBI.

These two teams met exactly one week ago at Hayden Field, but the game was cancelled after rain and lightning halted play.

Xavier gets one day of rest before welcoming Villanova to Hayden Field on Friday for XU's first BIG EAST home series since joining the conference. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. GoXavier.com will provide live video broadcasts and statistics throughout the series. Following Sunday's noon game, 15 members of the team and one athletic trainer will shave their heads as part of a fundraiser with Vs. Cancer, benefiting the foundation and a local hospital.​